1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game apparatus and a game system. More particularly, this invention relates to a game apparatus capable of providing new game progress by externally incorporating a scenario macro by using a communication network or a recording medium and reusing existing video data (animation), graphics, texts, and other information, and this invention also relates to a game system capable of providing the game apparatus with the scenario macro.
Moreover, this invention relates to an invention wherein the above-described system is applied to an information processor and an information processing system. Namely, the game system of this invention can be applied to a programming system for the information processor.
2. Description of Related Art
Examples of conventional game apparatus of the above-described type include: those capable of providing various kinds of game progress by switching compact disks (CDs): and those capable of providing game progress by using so-called additional scenarios which have the same basic system, and the scenarios of which are remade, or those capable of providing game progress on personal computers (PCs) or the like by using additional scenarios on floppy disks (FDs) or CDs.
The former game apparatus described above has a problem in that the labor required for development of a game or the labor for sales activities are almost the same as that required for the creation of a new game.
The latter game apparatus has a problem in that since a separate game progress is prepared beforehand, if the entire game progress is disclosed, no further scenario changes can be made.
It is an object of this invention to provide a game apparatus which can solve the above-described problems, provide semi-infinite new scenario progress, and reduce the labor for the development and sale thereof, and to provide a game system using such a game apparatus.
A game apparatus of this invention which solves the above-described problems comprises:
means for storing a macro group with a game scenario described therein for commanding the processing procedures of the scenario;
means for storing a data group consisting of video data, graphics, texts and other information used in accordance with the progress of the game scenario; and
means for storing a program to cause processing means to make a game progress by using the data group on the basis of the command of the macro group, and
the game apparatus further comprises:
first means for externally incorporating a scenario macro; and
second means for giving a command to the program on the basis of the scenario macro obtained externally by the first means and for providing a game of a new scenario by reusing the data group.
Such a game apparatus uses the first means to externally incorporate a new scenario macro, and then uses the second means to give a command to the program by means of the new scenario macro and reuse the data group existing inside of the game apparatus, thereby making a new game progress.
In the game apparatus, the first means is the means for externally incorporating the scenario macro and the like by using a communication network or a recording medium. The recording device inside of a portable game apparatus shall be included in the recording medium.
Moreover, in the game apparatus described above, the second means comprises: a program code for interpreting the macro group or the scenario macro; and a program code for conducting processing in accordance with an abstracted action command.
Furthermore, in the game apparatus, the scenario macro is binary data in which procedures for processing the scenario are listed.
When the above-described game apparatus is applied to an actual game application, features of such a structure can be listed as follows.
For example, the scenario macro is macro data for controlling the progress of the scenario of a puzzle game application. In this case, the puzzle game nay be a game which requires a player to operate objects moving in images on a monitor screen in accordance with questions. The scenario macro is preferably composed of information about initial positions of the objects, information to display the objects next time, information to clear the game, and information about a character to appear in the game. In this case, it is desirable that the second means comprise means for automatically preparing a text of the questions by using the clear conditions and the character conditions. Moreover, the second means may comprise inflection means for changing the ending of the question text according to the type of the character. Furthermore, the objects may be display objects copying jewels caused to fall down from the top of an image on the monitor screen.
On the other hand, in order to attain the above-described object, a game system of this invention comprises:
a game apparatus which comprises:
means for storing a macro group with a game scenario described therein for commanding the processing procedures of the scenario, a data group consisting of video data, graphics, texts and other information used in accordance with the progress of the game scenario, and a program to cause processing means to make a game progress by using the data group on the basis of the command of the macro group;
first means for externally incorporating a scenario macro; and
second means for giving a command to the program by means of the scenario macro obtained externally by the first means and for providing a new scenario by reusing the data group; and
distribution means of distributing the scenario macro to the game apparatus.
Such a game system can easily distribute the scenario macro to a target game apparatus through the distribution means.
In the above-described system, the first means is the means for externally incorporating the scenario macro and the like by using a communication network or a recording medium.
Moreover, in the above-described system, the second means comprises: a program code for interpreting the macro group or the scenario macro; and a program code for conducting processing in accordance with an abstracted action command.
In the system, the scenario macro is binary data in which procedures for processing the scenario are listed.
In the system, the distribution means distributes a new scenario macro every given period of time.
In the system, the distribution means supplies the scenario macro to a communication network or a recording medium.
Also with such a game system, it is possible to add a characteristic structure which is similar to that of the above-described game apparatus as applied to an actual game application.
Moreover, this invention is a recording medium with a program stored thereon for causing a computer to function as the processing unit and the game apparatus stated in the descriptions of any one of the game apparatus and the game system.
This recording medium includes, for example, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, optical magnetic disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, ROM cartridges, RAM memory cartridges with battery backup, flash memory cartridges, and nonvolatile RAM cards.
Communication media such as wire communication media like telephone lines, and radio communication media like microwave lines are included. The Internet is also included in the communication media herein referred to.
A recording medium is the medium with information (mainly digital data and programs) recorded thereon by some physical means and is capable of causing a processing unit such as a computer or a dedicated processor to perform specified functions. Namely, such a recording medium may be any medium which can download, by whatever means, programs onto a computer and cause the computer to perform specified functions.
Concerning the information processor of this invention, for example, macro data is stored in a server or a portable recording medium, and macro data reading means reads macro data through access to the server or directly from the portable recording medium.
Accordingly, if the information processor has program codes to specify the details of information processing, it can make its control means perform various processing steps by externally incorporating macro data for determining the progress of processing. Moreover, the macro data is composed only of plural macro commands for specifying the program codes and for specifying readout procedures and does not contain any program code which may cause an increase in the data amount. Therefore, the data amount can be as small as possible and such an information processor is most suitable for the supply of external scenario data.
When this information processor is used as a game apparatus, it is possible to treat the scenario macro for determining the progress of a game as the macro data and to externally incorporate various scenarios, thereby realizing various game progress.